Bella Flores Urban Fantasy Collection

by R D Martin

  Though the word passed her lips as quietly as a graveyard at midnight, it might as well have been as loud as a cannon blast. All the magic she’d absorbed shot from her hands in beams of blue-white light so large every square inch of the room was bathed in its brilliance.

  The darkness behind the statue in the alcove burned away, revealing something so twisted and unnatural her mind refused to give it form.

  The teeth piercing her legs and chest disappeared as all heads joined in unity to scream in pain and fear.

  With the magic fueling her, she didn’t feel herself drop to the floor. She could, however, feel the room shaking as Ladon shook and thrashed, slamming himself into walls and tearing at his heads with his own claws. Rolling over, she pulled herself to where Samantha huddled, covering her ears to block out the sound of the screaming beast.

  Each movement she made drained some magic still in her and felt as though she were trying to pull herself over a field of broken glass. By the time she reached the little girl, every cut and bruise covering a significant portion of her body ached like stab wounds.

  Hauling herself into a sitting position, she put her arms around the child she’d gone through so much to find. As Ladon’s actions slowed, Bella forced herself to concentrate on the girl. She was alive and safe.

  A racking cough seized her, and a coppery taste coated her tongue. Wiping a hand across her mouth, she saw it come back smeared with blood and a shiver ran through her. Time to go, she thought as she hugged the girl tighter. Though she willed them to move, her muscles felt like lead and refused to obey, and the room began spinning as edges of her vision started to darken again. Ladon had gone still, so that was okay. Maybe she could lie here for just another minute. She needed to catch her breath anyway, didn’t she?

  Bella shivered. No, she needed to get up, to get the girl back to her mother. She needed… what? She wasn’t sure what she needed. Was it getting colder in here? Oh well. Time to go… in a minute. Rest, that was what she needed. A minute to rest. That wouldn’t hurt. She just needed to close her eyes for a minute.

  The world around her ceased to spin as she closed her eyes. Yes, just a minute. One minute, then they’d leave. In the darkness she could hear the slow beat of her heart and the staccato beat of Samantha’s. There was also a shuffling sound just on the edge of her hearing, not that it mattered. Sleep. Sleep mattered. Then they’d get out of there.

  Quicker than she’d have thought possible, sound disappeared as well.

  28

  “Coming,” Bella yelled. “I’m coming.”

  Setting the newspaper down on the table, she stood and, with a last glance at it, strode through the kitchen to the front door. Two weeks. That’s all she asked for. One week to get her life back in order and a second week to find another job and forget nearly dying. Thinking of that sent tingles racing from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. She’d lost so much blood, if it hadn’t been for William, well, she wouldn’t have had to worry about finding a new job.

  The spell holding him and the bird woman in stasis had just ended when Ladon’s scream echoed through the halls. The sound had startled both combatants, but it had a greater effect on his attacker. The winged creature pushed away from him and, flapping its wings hard enough to kick up a miniature windstorm, disappeared down the tunnel. Freed, he’d run to join Bella, only to find her unconscious.

  Gasping, she’d woken up on the floor lying in a pool of her own blood with William pressing a burning talisman into her forehead. Warmth spread throughout her, soothing pains like she was luxuriating in a whirlpool. As it spread, energy suffused her limbs until she could raise herself to her feet.

  After that, it was just a matter of opening a portal with Browser’s ring to escape. As bad as they looked walking out of the bathroom and into the soup kitchen’s dining room, they still only attracted a few stares.

  Karina, after satisfying herself that she wasn’t about to die, let them know the police and child services were in the back office speaking with the children. She wanted to drag her to them to explain the children’s crazy stories, but thought better about it and passed her the keys to her car.

  The pounding on the front door grew more incessant as she approached.

  “Okay, okay. I’m here.” She didn’t even bother with the peephole. The wards in place now would keep out anything short of a god.

  Standing on the other side of the doorway was her neighbor, Heather, and Samantha. The child gave a high-pitched squeal before darting in and around her to scoop up Cat across the room. Rather than an annoyed hiss, the animal had a smug grin on its face that only widened as it hung from the girl’s arms.

  “Hello, Heather. What can I do for you?” Bella asked, opening the door a little more.

  “Hi, Bella. You seem… different. Did you do something? Cut your hair or something?” The blonde squinted, trying to zero in on the change.

  “No,” she said, putting on as innocent a look as she could. “Nothing.”

  There was a moment’s pause before the woman nodded and, stepping past her, entered the apartment.

  “I need you to watch Samantha tonight. I’m going out with some of the girls to that new club, you know, the one with all the silver stars on its front.” Turning, she held out a backpack. “She’s almost done with her homework, so you’ll have to help her finish, but that—”

  “No.”

  “—shouldn’t take too long,” she continued as if Bella hadn’t spoken. “After that, you can order a pizza or something. I know, the carbs aren’t good for—”

  “Heather, I said no.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I said no. I’ve got company and as much as I love Samantha, I’d like to spend some time alone with him, if you don’t mind.”

  “You? You’ve got company?” The woman’s tone was rife with disbelief.

  “Yes, she’s got company,” came a reply from behind her.

  Both women turned toward the new voice. Leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of him in a way that made his muscles seem more pronounced, William flashed his gorgeous smile back at them.

  Bella rolled her eyes and smiled. If anyone ever accused her of being a drama queen, she’d just have to point to her boyfriend as her excuse. A flutter of butterflies invaded her stomach and a rush of warmth enveloped her like a fine silk robe at the thought. Boyfriend. Her boyfriend.

  “What? Bella? Who is this?”

  Ignoring the shocked woman, she turned her attention to Samantha, who was currently scratching behind Bella’s familiar’s ears, causing him to purr so loud she could hear it from where she stood.

  “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re not staying. Not tonight, anyway.”

  “Aw, but please?”

  “Nope. But maybe this weekend, okay?”

  That seemed to mollify the child as she stood and skipped across the room, throwing her arms around Bella in a tight squeeze.

  “You still wearing the charm I gave you?” Bella asked, hugging her back. It was difficult to send her away, but she really wanted some alone time. Well, not necessarily alone, she thought, smirking. “Good girl.”

  Letting go, she watched the child skip into the hall and disappear into her own apartment.

  “It was nice to see you, Heather,” she said to the still-quiet woman who hadn’t taken her eyes off William. Putting a hand on her shoulder, she guided the woman out of the apartment and into the hallway.

  On the other side of the door, Heather shook her head as if to deny the shift her world had just taken.

  “Bella? How?” she began, eyes flicking between the woman she thought she knew and the man in her apartment.

  “Good night, Heather. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  Bella only saw her nod once before closing the door in her face.

  Most of the people walking in the street gave the dirty woman a wide berth as she stood, frozen in one spot and staring up at the building across the street. One man stopped
and tried to ask her if she needed help, but was ignored so thoroughly he wandered away, forgetting her in pursuit of his own business.

  Though she couldn’t see anyone from where she stood, Ceto could feel her up there, could feel how happy she was. The mark was still there, probably forgotten by the human, but she’d never forget. And she never forgot a debt owed either.

  Her plan had worked, though not quite how she’d envisioned it. She’d hoped to possess the Blade, but at least all the shards were together and she could retrieve them later.

  If only her son had done as she told him. Retrieve the shards. How hard could that have been? Instead, he tried to perform the ritual on his own.

  She frowned. Impatience had always been his problem. Even guarding the golden apples, he’d let that hero goad him into a fight. If she hadn’t heard his cries and been close enough, he would have died then.

  Oh well. Children. What could a mother do?

  Turning, she hurried as fast as her legs could carry her up the street, dislodging small crustaceans with each step. She hated walking. Hated having to be so far from her ocean home. It all felt so… dry. How could they live like this?

  A wry smile flitted across her corpse-pale lips. They wouldn’t have too much longer, she thought. This was a setback, but not the end of her plans. The cycle would be right again soon and she could move forward then. Besides, she had other children, though none as malleable as Ladon. He would have made the perfect sacrifice. Maybe she’d use one of her winged daughters. She’d never liked them much.

  Humming a tune that hadn’t been heard in a thousand years, Ceto turned a corner and vanished in the shadows, leaving behind nothing but a salty wet trail.

  1

  Bella stared at the candle flame, watching it flicker back and forth.

  “That’s it. Feed the flame your thoughts, your feelings and emotions. Let it burn everything away until there's nothing left,” said the voice across from her.

  She refused to look up at Gar this time, refused to give in and admit this entire exercise was stupid. No matter how hard she tried, it was impossible for her to feed everything into the flame. And besides, what’s the point? She understood sympathetic magic well enough, but how could emptying yourself also empty the magic in an area? It just didn’t make sense.

  “You’re not concentrating,” said Gar. The Finder’s assistant reached across the space between them and tapped her on the head with one of his enormous fingers. “Don’t fight it. Let the magic flow through you and into the fire. Empty yourself.”

  They’d been at this exercise for more than a month and she was nowhere nearer emptying herself than she was when they’d started. With a frustrated grunt, she blinked her dry eyes and sat back.

  “Giving up already? You’ve only been at it for a little while. Concentrate and you’ll get it.”

  “Concentrate? All I do is concentrate.” She could feel a flush creeping up her cheeks. “I stare at that damn flame every day, and the only thing I’ve experienced so far is a cold ass and a backache. I’m telling you, I’m an elemental Witch. I can turn that flame into an inferno if you like.” She stared at the flickering light for a moment before the small orange flame shot a foot into the air, turning a blue-white color as it did. “I can blow it out, restart it, or make it dance. But I can’t feed emotions into it. It’s impossible to leave yourself empty like that.”

  She watched as Gar sighed, his great drooping shoulders causing his coat of thick long hair to shake. Not for the first time, Bella wondered how long her friend spent combing out his coat to get everything so straight. She didn’t have anywhere near the amount of hair he did, and there were days she considered getting it bobbed. It had to drive him crazy.

  “Look,” he said. “I know it’s difficult, but—”

  “Difficult? Try impossible. Why are we even wasting time on this, anyway?”

  “Nothing’s impossible. You just have to believe you can do it. That’s the trick. Once you—"

  “Show me.”

  “What?”

  “Show me. You’ve sat here every day telling me what I have to do to make this magic work, and I haven’t even seen you do it. If it’s so easy, show me.” She crossed her arms and squinted at her hairy companion.

  “Bella, please. Let’s just get back to work. You’re so close—"

  “I’m not and you know it. If I was, I would have felt something by now. Stop stalling and show me something. Or is it something you can’t do either?” She felt a small stab of guilt at the words, but after a month of frustrated work and no results, she was ready to believe this exercise was nothing but a distraction.

  “Very well,” said Gar, shifting his position on the marble floor. “As you know, magic is an energy that flows through and around us. It is always there, to greater or lesser degrees.”

  “I know, but how—"

  “Stop interrupting,” Gar snapped. “As I was saying, magic is energy and energy can be manipulated. The question is, how do we manipulate it? The most basic way is by opening ourselves up to it and letting it do what it wants.”

  A wind rose and slid around the duo with the ease of silk over a glass table. Though she was glad she wore her hair in a ponytail, the wind still tugged at it hard enough to whip it back and forth. Grabbing the end, she pulled it tight over her shoulder. As she did so, her eyes opened wide. The wind assaulting her was leaving Gar alone, not even disturbing a single strand of his long hair.

  “When a magic user does that, they suffer under the whim of magic and pay two prices. What are they?”

  “Easy,” she replied as the wind died. “First is the energy spent to call the magic.” She ticked her answer off on one finger. “And second, is the waste of energy that could have been saved.” As if to prove her point, she opened herself up to magic and sent a small stream of wind snaking through Gar’s coat, giving it a small tug. “Why open a flood gate when a small trickle will do?”

  “Yes, yes. So, the next level is elemental magic.”

  Bella sat up straighter. They were talking about something she knew well. Without taking the time to think, she conjured four small balls of elements to hover in the air in front of her.

  “Very good. Elemental magic is simple magic, easy to use and, with practice, easy to control. The downside of elemental magic is that, while it is easy for you to summon, it requires significant willpower to maintain control. One slip and…”

  Bella felt an electric spark lance at the base of her spine, and she jumped. Her concentration interrupted, the air and water elements disbursed while the earth element crumbled to dust on her lap. Only the fire element remained in place, untouched by the disturbance.

  “Hey. No fair.”

  “Fair is for children. I’m teaching,” he said, waving his hand in the air.

  The dust on Bella’s lap disappeared while the hovering ball of flame shot around the room, trailing a comet tail that sparked between a rainbow of colors before freezing in the air above Gar’s hand. A cold shiver ran through her as it did. No one had ever stolen one of her spells before, and it was an uncomfortable sensation.

  “After elemental, we have rune magic. This is both more and less powerful than elemental magic. Why is that?”

  Bella sighed. He wasn’t kidding about giving her a lesson.

  “Look, I know all this already. Can’t you just show me what—"

  “Answer the question.”

  “But I—"

  “Answer.”

  “All right.” She huffed. “Rune magic can make a spell permanent. A Witch feeds magic into the runes while she’s drawing them, and when the conditions of the runes have been met, it releases the magic.”

  “Show me.”

  Bella bent over and began drawing a rune on the floor. Opening herself to the surrounding energy, she fed it into each line. When she connected the last line, finishing her drawing, the rune glowed a bright white before sinking into the floor.

  “And?”

&n
bsp; She smirked and, with a flourish, clapped her hands together. A dazzling ray of light shot up from the floor, illuminating the room in a verdant field of colors before fading into nothing. Bella blinked, trying to get rid of the light’s afterimages.

  “So why is it less powerful?” Gar asked. His tone implying he wasn’t impressed at all.

  Bella shook her head. “It isn’t less powerful. It’s just prone to mistakes. If the rune is not drawn right, or lines are done in the wrong order, it dies, and we lose the energy. That’s why most casters rely on saying the name of the rune instead of drawing it. It’s less powerful, but it’s more likely to work.”

  “It’s amazing.”

  “What?”

  “That you can be so right and so wrong at the same time. I’m in absolute wonder.”

  Bella tilted her head. That was a textbook answer.

  “Okay, smart guy. Why?”

  “Why, what?”

  “Why was I wrong?”

  “You weren’t.”

  “But you just said I was.”

  “No, I said you were both right and wrong.”

  “So which is it?”

  “Both.”

  “Huh?”

  “You got part of it right.” Gar bent over and traced the same rune on the floor. Just like the one she drew, it too glowed with a white light before fading into the floor. “Runes direct the magic to do what the caster wants. However, you forgot to include intent in the spell.”

  Bella watched him sit back before snapping his sausage-like fingers. A beam of light shot up from the floor, but unlike hers, this one was small and focused. As it shot up it changed direction, darting left, then right in a pattern she couldn’t make out. The beam moved faster and fast, slicing back and forth through the air and, as though coming into focus for the first time, she could see the image formed by the traveling light. A snowcapped mountain surrounded at its base by a forest of green trees. A river ran from the forest and fed into a lake with blue water so clear she imagined she could see the bottom.